Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Pennsylvania's Pigeons

There is no glamour in the protection of others, let alone animals. The work done by animal activists is grueling in various regards: the scale of abuses is enormous, while the number people promoting change is many times less than needed; funding is often short and, as it would seem, it's also a line of work in which activists are regularly assaulted. Take, for instance, the experiences of Steve Hindi, founder and President of SHARK (Showing Animals Respect and Kindness). His organizations focuses, primarily, on confronting the issue of pigeon shooting in Pennsylvania, an extensive practice of illegal abuse. Video brought forth by the organization shows outright disgusting behavior by this well-fed white bunch. Cruelty by these people is flagrant. Not just against birds, but also the activists. Those committing illegal acts aren't charged, showing the U.S. legal system is only geared towards the prosecution of another group of Americans. One practice highlighted by the organization is the buying of caged birds by these ruffians, often too disoriented to even fly after release, only to be shot, beat, stomped and maimed. The practice is documented, yet obviously of no concern to U.S. law enforcement. The documentation of offenses stretches far beyond animal abuses to include human ones. Hit-and-runs, public intimidation, aiming of loaded weapons, and even the assault of women have taken place - all documented. The legal outcomes of these actions in Pennsylvania highlights just why, as according to a recent study by the University of Hong Kong and Indiana University, it is one of the most corrupt U.S. states (5th). Traffic violations are just one of many laughable exercises of the law in Pennsylvania for these acts of violence. Transgressions of the legal system, such as have occurred under the guidance of Bucks County District Attorney, Heckler, require federal investigations to restore public faith, if at all this existed prior. The legal outcomes show the apparent connections between the pigeon shooters and county authority in Bucks and Berks. Robert Olsen, who brandished and aimed his weapon in public, received no weapons charge and Frederick K. Campbell, who hit Hindi with his car and then drove off, wasn't subject to an alcohol test, protocol in this case. Hindi went on record in a video on his YouTube channel to highlight the funding Berks County District Attorney receives from the NRA and the individuals responsible for these violations of the law, having overseen charges against the group that Hindi underscored, such as the charging of women. The Department of Justice should be less concerned with indicting foreign officials, as was the case today for several FIFA officials on charges of corruption, and more willing to tackle the more worrying American equivalent, a phenomena we have seen spanning from police brutality and inequality to what is shown by Hindi's experiences. The examples of corruption, abuse of power and crime in Pennsylvania, all highlighted by the experience of one organization, need serious assessment on the Federal level.
A link to Hindi's channel where he outlines the worrying trend of brutality against animals in America: https://www.youtube.com/user/SHARKonlineorg/videos